Huh, honeymoon?

Eun Seo doubted her own ears. Whether the word she heard was really ‘honeymoon’.

As Eun Seo showed a clearly bewildered look, Tae Ha smiled with his eyes languidly closed.

The gaze they exchanged did not waver an inch. Honeymoon, could it really be true?

“Um, Mr. Kwon Tae Ha.”

“Let’s call me CEO. This is a company, you know.”

“It’s past working hours.”

Eun Seo replied, glancing at the numbers on the digital clock on the wall.

“It’s not, Song Eun Seo.”

Tae Ha confirmed that it was just 2 minutes past quitting time and raised the corner of his lips in a smirk.

He found it endearing. That she didn’t back down, just like the day they first met. That her eyes, which seemed like they could become even sharper, shone with the same brilliance as on that first day.

He liked that she didn’t live as innocently as she did now.

“But today we’re working overtime. You and I, Secretary Song.”

The tip of his long finger pointed alternately at Eun Seo and himself as he inserted the remaining words.

“Quitting time is far off.”

“Suddenly? You’ve never done this before.”

On any other day, Eun Seo wouldn’t have spoken so presumptuously to Tae Ha, the CEO, but given the flow of the conversation, she naturally found his intentions suspicious. So she couldn’t simply accept it.

“There’s no law saying it always has to be the same. I think we should eat dinner, please get some sandwiches.”

“…”

“Go on.”

Tae Ha pointed to the door with an indifferent glance, and Eun Seo left the office after a bewildered bow.

‘Honeymoon, he says.’

Eun Seo returned to her desk with a dazed expression, but Han, the deputy manager, had already left, and instead, Kim, the head of the finance team who had come to drop off some documents, greeted her at her seat.

She had a brown shoulder bag on, as if she had been planning to go home.

She was outgoing and close with Deputy Han, so they had eaten together several times, making her not difficult to approach.

“Deputy Han went home, but you’re not leaving, Eun Seo?”

“The CEO told me to stay for overtime.”

“Overtime? Why overtime today of all days?”

Manager Kim tilted her head with a puzzled expression. Then, picking up the desk calendar, she asked,

“By the way, didn’t they tell you to prepare for the CEO’s trip to Bali?”

“Pardon? Bali?”

Eun Seo’s eyes grew round. As if a secret she thought only she knew had been discovered.

And making that feeling irrelevant, Manager Kim, without making a sound, mouthed as if it were top secret,

“You didn’t know?”

Unable to answer hastily, Eun Seo held her tongue. But Manager Kim, as if she hadn’t been waiting for Eun Seo’s reply, immediately pressed on.

“It seems like he’s going on a honeymoon.”

‘Honeymoon’. Eun Seo’s eyes froze.

“I heard Deputy Han contacting the hotel earlier, and it’s a pool villa.”

Manager Kim, not noticing Eun Seo’s reaction, glanced at the CEO’s office door and this time, pressing her belly close to the desk, covered her mouth with her hand and whispered,

“This business trip, it’s the CEO, you, and Team Leader Choi going, right?”

“Team Leader Choi is going too?”

At the words ‘business trip’ and ‘Team Leader Choi’, Eun Seo, who had only been flustered until now, began to rationally gauge the hidden meaning of Kwon Tae Ha’s words.

“Yes. They say it’s to benchmark hotels. Usually, executives go, but since the CEO just took office recently, he’s going to look around personally.”

Eun Seo felt all the strength drain from her body. It was a business trip, yet how could he tease her so mischievously by calling it a ‘honeymoon’?

She thought he was a kind person, but it seems he has a mean streak too.

“But you know the CEO worked in shopping before coming to the hotel, right? There were lots of rumors. That he and Team Leader Choi were in that kind of relationship.”

“What?”

Eun Seo’s eyes widened as she leaned back at this even more absurd story.

“Shh!”

Manager Kim put her index finger to her lips and this time glanced at the secretary’s office where Team Leader Choi was.

“You’ve seen it too, right? How he drags Team Leader Choi around every day. Plus, Team Leader Choi never misses an overseas business trip. Everyone who knows, knows this story.”

“Really?”

“The CEO hasn’t dated anyone until now, right? Is that even possible? He’s good-looking, rich, smart. His physique is killer too. But to say he’s never dated once, is that believable?”

“Ah… that’s right. It’s not believable. He really hasn’t dated anyone? Truly?”

“That’s what they say. But about two years ago, when Team Leader Choi got a girlfriend, the rumors completely died down. But that didn’t last 5 months. Why do you think?”

Manager Kim nodded gravely with an almost certain look in her eyes. Then, covering her mouth again,

“But, I’m not sure if I should be saying this, but you know the rumor that Team Leader Choi pulled strings to get you in this time, right?”

She knew the rumors said it was Choi Woo Young’s line, not Kwon Tae Ha’s.

“Don’t be surprised if you hear it from somewhere else later. Anyway, so now the rumor is, they’re saying that CEO and Team Leader Choi brought you in to hide their relationship, that’s the rumor going around.”

“I see…”

Eun Seo just nodded vaguely. Is it fortunate that rumors are spreading like this?

“Secretary Song, don’t you know anything? Just tell me. I’ll keep it a secret.”

“They’re just friends.”

“As expected, you’re tight-lipped.”

Eun Seo really didn’t know anything, but Manager Kim marveled at how Eun Seo kept her mouth shut.

“I don’t gossip either. This was just between us. Who would I tell? The CEO? Or Team Leader Choi? Deputy Han was happy when you came, saying we got a bamboo forest.”

Manager Kim put her bag on the desk and brushed off dust from her skirt hem.

“But what can you do, he’ll probably marry a daughter from a prominent family. If he really is in that kind of relationship with Team Leader Choi.”

“…”

“Our CEO has dedicated his soul to the company. He won’t marry just anyone. He’ll consider all the conditions and marry someone with the best conditions. Our CEO is quite a catch in that market.”

Eun Seo couldn’t simply agree, remembering Ha Eun. Why are all the rumors about him just false rumors?

“I wonder who on earth he’s planning to marry that he’s being so picky. Why do I find this so interesting?”

Manager Kim concluded with a dejected remark after expending all her energy on gossip. Then, after finishing all her organizing, she left the desk with a ‘Well, take care.’

After she swept through, Eun Seo’s mind was in a whirl.

Kwon Tae Ha, Choi Woo Young.

Eun Seo recalled the names of the two and their appearance at home, and just laughed.

* * *

Eun Seo stepped out of the building when told that Tae Ha’s favorite sandwich was sold out at the cafe inside the company building.

“Where are you going?”

It was Woo Young, who was just entering the building.

“The CEO said he’s working overtime and asked me to buy sandwiches. Should I buy one for you too, Team Leader?”

“No. I’m not working overtime.”

Woo Young raised one hand in greeting before disappearing inside.

The cold was quite fierce.

The wind that ruffled her hair was more than just chilly. Eun Seo was only wearing a cardigan over her blouse, but finding it bothersome to go back to the secretary’s office, she hurried down the street, hunching her arms to conserve body heat.

Plop plop.

Black water spots spread roundly on her sleeve. What started as one trace quickly multiplied into several.

Is it raining?

Looking up at the sky, a cold drop of water spread and flowed down her forehead with a plop. It was starting to rain.

Not just Eun Seo, but everyone walking on the street quickened their pace.

However, she didn’t want to go back to the company to get an umbrella for this level of rain, so Eun Seo ran, gritting her teeth so hard her chin was numb with cold.

There was a large cafe not far from the company.

There were three kiosks. Eun Seo waited in line at the one with the shortest queue.

After everyone in front of her was gone, Eun Seo selected two hot Americanos and started choosing sandwiches.

There were quite a variety.

But Tae Ha’s favorite wasn’t there. Tae Ha preferred paninis with cheese, vegetables, and ham between well-toasted bread. That was only available at the company store, so it was difficult to choose something similar here.

As her finger flipped back and forth through several screens in consideration, a young man behind her spoke up.

“Can I help you?”

“I took too long, didn’t I? I’m sorry.”

When Eun Seo apologized, the man slightly lifted his cap in greeting, then reached across Eun Seo’s shoulder to point at a sandwich with his own finger.

“The tomato mozzarella sandwich here is delicious.”

Feeling as if she had solved some difficult problem, Eun Seo smiled brightly. As she selected the sandwich and moved to the next screen, he asked,

“Is this your first time here?”

“Not really, but it’s my first time buying sandwiches.”

“I see. I thought I hadn’t seen you before. I practically live here.”

“Is that so?”

“Seeing that it’s takeout, you’re eating somewhere else, right? Work or home?”

“Work.”

“Your answers are really short.”

“Were they?”

“I’m curious, do you have a boyfr…”

As the man in the cap was saying this, a long finger appeared from somewhere and pressed the payment button on the kiosk screen. A dark fingerprint was clearly imprinted there.

“What the…”

Annoyed at the rudeness of someone butting into their conversation, the man in the cap narrowed his brows sharply and cut off his words irritably.

“You weren’t pressing pay, so I got impatient.”

The lowered voice belonged to Tae Ha, dressed in an all-black suit.

“That doesn’t mean you can cut in line! How can you not wait your turn when there’s clearly someone in front!”

“Does a husband need to take a number and wait to stand next to his wife?”

The man in the cap, greatly flustered, looked back and forth between Eun Seo and Tae Ha before hurriedly leaving the cafe.

“How did you know to come?”

Eun Seo asked. Her eyes were quite curious.

“I met Woo Young. He told me you went out in this cold weather. And it’s raining too.”

Tae Ha unfolded the trench coat he had been carrying on his arm and draped it over Eun Seo’s shoulders. Surprised, Eun Seo pulled her shoulders back, but his grip was more determined.

“If you catch a cold, the whole secretarial team suffers. Just wear it.”

As Eun Seo’s shoulders, which had been trying to escape the coat, stopped, Tae Ha continued,

“Why did you come all the way here for a mere sandwich? You should have just ordered delivery.”

“I’ll do that next time.”

Tae Ha pulled the collar of the coat he had put on Eun Seo and buttoned it, sealing it tightly so not even a breath of wind could enter.

“I’d like to do this every day. Even better if it were my arm instead of a coat.”

Before Eun Seo could respond, the employee’s announcement was heard.

“Number 26, Americano and sandwich are ready.”

Tae Ha, who had come out of the cafe, held coffee in one hand and opened an umbrella with the other. Raindrops shattered around them with a clear sound.

“Let’s share.”

Eun Seo entered under his umbrella without a word. The scent of the man subtly wet her nose along with the humid air. It was a strangely enveloping fragrance.

Behind them, a car slowed down and stopped by the roadside. The car window slowly lowered, swallowing raindrops.